After Survivor removed Dan Spilo in December 2019, he issued a public apology to Kellee Kim and said he regretted that his behavior had made anyone uncomfortable. The show’s episode-ending card gave a separate, limited explanation for his removal: a report of another off-camera incident that did not involve a player.
What Dan Spilo said after his removal
As reported by TheWrap, Spilo made his statement to People on December 17, 2019. He said: “I am deeply sorry for how my actions affected Kellee [Kim] during the taping of this season of Survivor.” He added that he wanted to apologize again “clearly and unambiguously” after apologizing at tribal council when he first learned Kim still felt uncomfortable.
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Spilo also said, “I truly regret that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by my behavior.” Looking ahead, he wrote that he hoped his future actions could help him make amends and show him to be the kind of father, husband, colleague and friend he aimed to be. Those were his stated hopes, not an independent account of what had happened. TheWrap’s report and reproduced statement.
Why Survivor removed him
The December 11, 2019 episode ended with a card saying: “Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player.” That was the show’s on-screen explanation; it did not name the person involved or describe the reported contact.
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In contemporaneous reporting, TheWrap said sources identified the incident as involving a female member of the production team during a boat transfer. The outlet reported that Spilo was accused of touching her leg; it also reported his account that the contact was accidental as he tried to regain his balance while boarding. These are reported accounts of the off-camera event, distinct from the wording on the episode card. TheWrap and Entertainment Tonight covered the removal and its context.
Entertainment Tonight reported that complaints about touching had already arisen during the season and that producers told Kim Spilo had received an official warning. Host and executive producer Jeff Probst said, “When we first told Dan we were pulling him from the game, he was not happy.” Probst added that by the time Spilo left by boat, “he had calmed down and was actually very respectful as he departed.” Entertainment Tonight described the removal as the first time a player had been ejected for behavior in the show’s 39 seasons at that time; that is the outlet’s historical framing, not a claim about the series today. Entertainment Tonight’s report.
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How Kellee Kim and Jeff Probst responded
Kim said the removal validated concerns she had raised, but she was disappointed that the behavior had been allowed to continue. Entertainment Tonight reproduced her statement that “shortly after I spoke up on camera, I was voted off the show.” Entertainment Tonight’s coverage.
At the December 18 finale reunion, Probst apologized to Kim for the way the situation had been handled. TheWrap reported that he acknowledged the earlier decision to issue warnings rather than remove Spilo after Kim first raised concerns was a mistake. “Your voice should have been enough. And it will be next time,” Probst told her. Kim said the hardest part was feeling she had not been supported or believed after speaking up: “I felt that I spoke up, and I was not being supported or believed.” TheWrap’s reunion report.
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Policy changes announced after the season
CBS and Survivor producers announced changes intended for future seasons. TheWrap reported a new in-game rule, stronger pre-production orientation, an on-site professional for confidential reporting, and a third-party expert to review or evolve policies. TIME reported that the announced measures also included anti-harassment, unconscious-bias and sensitivity training, plus a rule prohibiting unwelcome physical contact, sexual harassment and impermissible biases.
TIME noted that season 40 had already filmed; some guidance was added there, while the broader changes were intended for future seasons. The announcements describe planned safeguards, not proof that each policy worked as intended. TIME’s report on the announced policies and TheWrap’s reunion coverage.
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